Shaquille O’Neill: The 325lb Goalkeeper

By: Daryl | March 2nd, 2009

Wow. Seems our can basketballers play soccer? post is part of a trend. The very next day, Chris found a vid of football vs basketball freestylers, and now there’s this.

It’s man-giant Shaquille O’Neill of the Phoenix Suns (and, let’s not forget, the movie Steel) fame, facing a penalty kick from Brazilian teammate Leandro Barbosa (I think) in training. LB shoots, Shaq saves, Shaq celebrates.

How would a 325lb keeper do in professional football? I’d guess not great, although Jeroen “pizza!” Verhoeven is making enough to eat. Clearly. And at 36, Shaq is more or less in his goalkeeping prime. Maybe if Tim Howard gets injured?

Good to know that the Phoenix Suns’ players with foreign roots like Steve Nash – who managed to score past Shaq according to the vid – and Leandro Barbosa (LB in the vid, right?) are spreading the beautiful game to old(er) NBA guys like Shaq.

Sidenote: Have you ever tried kicking a basketball? I did once and two things happened:

1) I bruised my big toe, and
2) My P.E. teacher yelled at me.

So all respect to Nash and LB for risking injury in the name of soccer.

[Vid sent to us by Soccer Training Info, but also spotted by Andrea of Chivas Offside last week.]

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Category: World Football

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matt

didnt nash's dad play for spurs? or try out for them or somethin too?
Andrea

Also, Nash's brother plays for the Canadian National team so his family had to have some soccer love around the house.
Daryl

I know Steve Nash is Canadian, but as I understand it he was born in South Africa.

I assumed that meant he had some South African upbringing, but according to Wikipedia his family moved to Canada when he was just 18 months old. So yeah, maybe he's not as foreign as I thought.
Peter

And yes Nash is very good but its not because he is a foreigner spreading the game.
Mike

lol, whenever the basket balls would come out in gym I'd just juggle them.

and then get yelled at.
Peter

Don't mean to be an ass but Nash is Canadian, soccer is just as big there as it is here in the states (which means growing but not too popular). We essentially have similar cultures and sport cultures (with more of an emphasis on the winter sports up in Canada).
Mustafa

I live in phoenix, home of the Suns, and there are lots of soccer related moments that i can recall... one of my favorites was before a game, and Leandro (who, in my opinion, needs to drop the last name and simply go by 'Leandrinho', like he did in Brazil) and Nash and Raja Bell (who is from the Virgin Islands) were just juggling the basketball back and forth, and it was really cool....

By the way, Nash is REALLY good, and the youtubes are littered with videos of him doing stuff like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...
Andrea

I love the Suns...

Yes, that's Leandro Barbosa. I guess they were expecting him to make it since he's Brazilian but Shaq was too much for him.

Next, I'd like to see the Sun's Gorilla try.
tom

Pizza!
Hawk

You don't kick a ball with your toe in the first place! When I kick a Bball I notice that it has a lot more spin, probably because it has more friction (grip). It dosen't go as hard though.